Bobby Vylan Stance on Glastonbury IDF Chant: "No Remorse"

The frontman Bobby Vylan has expressed he is "without regret" about his "death, death to the IDF" performance at Glastonbury and asserted he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Chant and Political Reactions

The outspoken music pair ignited widespread debate when they led crowd chants of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June set. This slogan was condemned by festival organizers and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who described it as "shocking hate speech."

After the event, Bob Vylan was released by its representation United Talent Agency, and the American state department cancelled the members' visas, compelling the duo to call off a scheduled US and Canada tour.

Conversation with the Podcaster

In his initial interview after the festival show, Vylan, using his birth name is Pascal Foster, conversed on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When questioned if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

"Absolutely. Like what if I was to perform at the festival again tomorrow, yes I would repeat it. I'm not regretful of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

The artist noted that the backlash the band encountered was "small compared to what people in Gaza are going through."

On the Chant's Significance

"I don't want to exaggerate the significance of the chant," he elaborated. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's backing, they're the people that I'm advocating for, they're the individuals that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Oh, because I've upset some conservative politician or some conservative news outlet?"

Surprising Response and Broadcaster Feedback

This musician claimed he was surprised by the outcry triggered by the exclamation, and stated that staff of BBC staff at the event told him on the day that the set was "fantastic."

However, the broadcaster's ECU later determined that the BBC's broadcast of the show breached content guidelines in relation to offense and offence.

He informed Theroux there was no sign of a dispute in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It was normal. No one suspected anything. Nobody. Even staff at the BBC were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Reply to Damon Albarn

Vylan also hit back at Damon Albarn, who called the protest "a major misstep I've witnessed in my life" and described him as "goose-stepping in sport gear."

Albarn's reaction was "disappointing" and "lacked self-awareness," Vylan remarked.

"I need to say that labeling it as a 'spectacular misfire' implies that in some way the views of the duo or our stance on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he stated.

"I strongly object with the phrase 'marching' being used because it's only used around the Nazis," he added. "That's it. And for him to use that wording, I think is offensive. I think his response was disgusting."

Meaning Behind the Slogan

When asked what he meant by the phrase "Down with the IDF," Vylan said the chant itself was "unimportant."

"The key issue is the situation that exist to permit that protest to even take place on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in the region. In which the Palestinian population are being killed at an disturbing rate. Who cares about the chant?" he stated.

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he noted: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, would it? … We are there to entertain. We are there to play music. I am a songwriter. 'The chant' rhymes. Perfect slogan."

Denial of Hate Speech Claims

Vylan also rejected assertions from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish safety organisation, that their set contributed to a rise in anti-Jewish incidents recorded two days.

"I believe I have created an hostile environment for the Jewish people. Suppose there were many individuals of people going out and saying 'We made me do this'. I could go, oof, I've had a bad impact here," he commented.

Contrast with Other Artists

As Vylan mentioned he felt the band had been targeted more heavily than others for speaking about the situation, the host brought up the Ireland-based group Kneecap, who have also encountered criticism for their approach to pro-Palestinian messaging.

"That's an interesting one," he said, "because as with everything race becomes a factor in that we are an easier villain, no pun intended, than others are because we are already the opponent."